Red Wings shut out Islanders 5-0

0

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — The Detroit Red Wings are surging and the New York Islanders are sinking.Daniel
Alfredsson, Darren Helm and Jimmy Howard led Detroit past New York 5-0 for the Wings’ first regulation win
against the Islanders in a decade.Alfredsson had two goals and an assist, Helm scored twice and Howard made
29 saves and the Red Wings controlled play for their third win in a row as the Islanders lost their fifth
straight.Since beating Boston 3-1 on home on Nov. 2, New York is 2-10.“You keep your head up and you keep
playing hard but this isn’t good enough in any way,” Islanders captain John Tavares said. “As a team, all we
can think about his playing a better game next time out.”New York came into the game with a 6-0-1 mark
against Detroit in its past seven meetings. The Red Wings hadn’t beaten the Islanders in regulation since
November 2003.“It’s great to see guys scoring goals and gaining confidence,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock
said. “And our goaltender had a dominant performance.”The shutout was the second this season for Howard and
the 18th of his career.The 29-year-old goaltender entered with a 0-3-4 record in his past seven starts,
allowing at least three goals five times during the streak.“We were getting chances and burying them,”
Howard said. “I give all the credit to the team in front of me. We played a very strong game in our
zone.”Helm scored his sixth of the season at 7:09 of the first. He took a pass from Alfredsson at the top of
the left circle, then skated in and slid a backhand past a flailing Kevin Poulin, making his fifth straight
start for the Islanders.Helm made it 2-0 with a spectacular short-handed score at 16:49 of the second, after
he and Poulin lunged for a loose puck in front of the crease.Helm poked it free and then past the prone
goaltender, tumbling upside down to the ice in the process. The goal with Justin Abdelkader in the penalty
box brought out boos at Nassau Coliseum.The 40-year-old Alfredsson, who joined Detroit after 17 seasons with
Ottawa, made it 3-0 just 12 seconds into the third, beating Poulin high to the glove side on a
breakaway.“This was a huge win for us,” said Alfredsson, who was playing his 1,200th career game and will
return to Ottawa on Sunday for the first time.Gustav Nyquist scored his fourth of the season at 6:12 of the
third, finishing a two-on-one break with Johan Franzen by sending another high shot past Poulin.Alfredsson
completed the scoring, knocking a loose puck past Poulin for his sixth of the season and the 432nd goal of
his career at 16:13 of the third.“When you score goals and get great goaltending, you feel better and better
as a team,” Alfredsson added. “Our hard work going forward will be the key for us.”The 23-year-old Poulin
became New York’s No. 1 goaltender after starter Evgeni Nabokov was injured when the teams met on Long
Island on Nov. 16.The Islanders won that game in a shootout, but haven’t recorded a victory since. Poulin is
2-7 in his past nine appearances.“Tonight we made decisions with the puck that weren’t very good,” Islanders
coach Jack Capuano said. “You just can’t do that against this team or any team.”The Islanders fell to
8-15-3.The game started slowly with an unusual 4 p.m. start time the day after Thanksgiving. The Islanders
outshot the Wings 12-9 in the first period. Detroit had a 9-7 shots advantage in the second.Detroit’s loss
on Long Island two weeks ago was part of a stretch when they were 0-2-5 from Nov. 4-19. But the Red Wings
have won four of five since, including Wednesday’s 6-1 drubbing of Boston at home.Detroit played without top
center Pavel Datsyuk, who was elbowed in the jaw at Ottawa last Saturday and missed his third straight game.
Detroit also scratched forward Todd Bertuzzi, out for a fourth straight game with an upper body
injury.Center Josh Bailey was a healthy scratch for the Islanders for the first time this season. Bailey has
no goals and two assists since Oct. 25.The Islanders host Washington on Saturday and Pittsburgh next Tuesday
before leaving on a five-game road trip. New York has lost seven straight away from home.NOTES: The
Islanders continued to be without defensemen Lubomir Visnovsky (concussion) and Brian Strait (upper body).
… New York also scratched left wing Eric Boulton and defenseman Calvin de Haan, who was recalled from AHL
Bridgeport on Thursday. … The Red Wings were also missing defenseman Danny DeKeyser (shoulder). … The
Islanders visit Detroit on Dec. 23.

No posts to display